WASTE TONER CONTAINER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING SAME

• US 20180150020A1
• Filed: 11/08/2017
• Published: 05/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Inventors: YANASE, Shinji, FUJII, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 10,534,311 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0855 the concentration being measured by optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0862 the level being measured by optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/105 Detection or control means for the toner concentration
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/105 Arrangements for conveying toner waste
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/12 Toner waste containers
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/16 Mechanical means for facilitating the maintenance of the apparatus, e.g. modular arrangements

Abstract

A waste toner container provided for use in an image forming apparatus includes: a body receiving, through an inlet, waste toner discharged from the image forming apparatus, and contains the waste toner; a conveyance member conveying the waste toner, which has been received through the inlet; a waste toner deposition chamber disposed downstream of the inlet in a waste toner conveyance direction such that the waste toner that has been conveyed is increasingly deposited therein, the chamber having a light-transmissive window through which amount of the deposited waste toner is optically monitorable from outside of the body; a conductive member disposed on an inner surface of the body so as to come into contact with the waste toner being conveyed; and a connection unit disposed between the conductive member and an earth member provided in the image forming apparatus to electrically connect between the conductive member and the earth member.

Claims

1. A waste toner container that is provided for use in an image forming apparatus, the waste toner container comprising:

a body that receives, through an inlet thereof, waste toner discharged from the image forming apparatus, and contains therein the waste toner;

a conveyance member that conveys the waste toner, which has been received through the inlet;

a waste toner deposition chamber that is disposed downstream of the inlet in a waste toner conveyance direction such that the waste toner that has been conveyed by the conveyance member is increasingly deposited therein, the waste toner deposition chamber having a light-transmissive window through which an amount of the deposited waste toner is optically monitorable from outside of the body;

a conductive member that is disposed on an inner surface of the body so as to come into contact with the waste toner that is being conveyed by the conveyance member; and

a connection unit that is disposed between the conductive member and an earth member that is provided in the image forming apparatus to electrically connect between the conductive member and the earth member.

2. The waste toner container of claim 1, wherein

the conductive member is disposed on at least one of a bottom surface and a side surface included in the inner surface of the body.

3. The waste toner container of claim 1, wherein

the conductive member is sheet-like.

4. The waste toner container of claim 1, wherein

the connection unit includes:

a first connection part that is electrically connected with the conductive member; and

a second connection part that is electrically connected with the earth member, and

the second connection part is elastic, and is pressed onto the earth member.

5. The waste toner container of claim 1, wherein

the conveyance member is a rotary member that rotates around a rotational axis thereof along the waste toner conveyance direction, and includes a spiral part that applies a conveyance force in a rotational axis direction thereof to the waste toner.

6. The waste toner container of claim 5, wherein

the conveyance member further includes a stirring unit that applies a force in a rotational direction thereof to the waste toner, and

the conductive member faces the stirring unit in the rotational axis direction.

7. The waste toner container of claim 1, further comprising:

a partition member that partitions an internal space of the body into an upper containing space and a lower containing space; and

a communication member via which the upper containing space and the lower containing space are only partially communicated with each other, wherein

the image forming apparatus includes;

an image carrier;

a developing unit that develops an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier with a developer to obtain a toner image;

a transfer unit that transfers the toner image from the image carrier onto a recording sheet or transfers the toner image from the image carrier onto the recording sheet via an intermediate transfer member; and

a cleaner that removes, as waste toner, residual toner on the image carrier or the intermediate transfer member after the toner image has been transferred,

the developing unit employs a trickle development system according to which while a developer including toner is supplied to a housing, part of the developer that has become excessive is discharged as waste toner,

the conveyance member, the waste toner deposition chamber, and the conductive member are disposed in the lower containing space,

the waste toner discharged from the developing unit is contained in the lower containing space through the inlet, and

the waste toner removed by the cleaner is contained in the upper containing space through another inlet of the body.

8. The waste toner container of claim 7, wherein

the lower containing space has a smaller capacity than the upper containing space, and

the waste toner deposition chamber is positioned immediately below the communication member.

9. An image forming apparatus including a waste toner container,

the waste toner container comprising:

a body that receives, through an inlet thereof, waste toner discharged from the image forming apparatus, and contains therein the waste toner;

a conveyance member that conveys the waste toner, which has been received through the inlet;

a waste toner deposition chamber that is disposed downstream of the inlet in a waste toner conveyance direction such that the waste toner that has been conveyed by the conveyance member is increasingly deposited therein, the waste toner deposition chamber having a light-transmissive window through which an amount of the deposited waste toner is optically monitorable from outside of the body;

a conductive member that is disposed on an inner surface of the body so as to come into contact with the waste toner that is being conveyed by the conveyance member; and

a connection unit that is disposed between the conductive member and an earth member that is provided in the image forming apparatus to electrically connect between the conductive member and the earth member.

10. The image forming apparatus of claim 9, wherein

the conductive member is disposed on at least one of a bottom surface and a side surface included in the inner surface of the body.

11. The image forming apparatus of claim 9, wherein

the conductive member is sheet-like.

12. The image forming apparatus of claim 9, wherein

the connection unit includes:

a first connection part that is electrically connected with the conductive member; and

a second connection part that is electrically connected with the earth member, and

the second connection part is elastic, and is pressed onto the earth member.

13. The image forming apparatus of claim 9, wherein

the conveyance member is a rotary member that rotates around a rotational axis thereof along the waste toner conveyance direction, and includes a spiral part that applies a conveyance force in a rotational axis direction thereof to the waste toner.

14. The image forming apparatus of claim 13, wherein

the conveyance member further includes a stirring unit that applies a force in a rotational direction thereof to the waste toner, and

the conductive member faces the stirring unit in the rotational axis direction.

15. The image forming apparatus of claim 9, wherein

the waste toner container further comprises:

a partition member that partitions an internal space of the body into an upper containing space and a lower containing space; and

a communication member via which the upper containing space and the lower containing space are only partially communicated with each other, wherein

the image forming apparatus includes;

an image carrier;

a developing unit that develops an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier with a developer to obtain a toner image;

a transfer unit that transfers the toner image from the image carrier onto a recording sheet or transfers the toner image from the image carrier onto the recording sheet via an intermediate transfer member; and

a cleaner that removes, as waste toner, residual toner on the image carrier or the intermediate transfer member after the toner image has been transferred,

the developing unit employs a trickle development system according to which while a developer including toner is supplied to a housing, part of the developer that has become excessive is discharged as waste toner,

the conveyance member, the waste toner deposition chamber, and the conductive member are disposed in the lower containing space,

the waste toner discharged from the developing unit is contained in the lower containing space through the inlet, and

the waste toner removed by the cleaner is contained in the upper containing space through another inlet of the body.

16. The image forming apparatus of claim 15, wherein

the lower containing space has a smaller capacity than the upper containing space, and

the waste toner deposition chamber is positioned immediately below the communication member.